Navajo Angora Goats

I’ve been reading up on livestock breeds to add to our property soon. I have a lot of experience with milk goats, but I wanted to have a fiber animal as well. I really like the way Nigerian milk tastes, and I find them easy to work with. I had been thinking of trying out nigoras, but then I stumbled upon the Navajo angora breed. They are supposed to be good milkers as well as very parasite resistant. There is a breeder locally, but unfortunately, they do not milk them. It seems like none of the breeders milk them, despite the claim that they make good dairy animals. Does anyone have experience with them? Is the milk rich and creamy? What is the yield like? Are the teats super tiny? I’m pretty picky about milk flavor (don’t get me started on alpine milk!). I would love to be able to help preserve such an endangered breed, but I also want something that fits my needs. Thanks.

Hi Ann,

first, disclaimer, I have not worked with Navajo Angora goats.
But while researching about them, these here state that they milk theirs http://www.dotranchchurros.com/nag.html

If you can go and have taste of the milk there it would be great to check for yourself if you like the taste of the milk, as this is very individual. Furthermore, the taste has also to do with the management.

If you can help this endangered breed while fitting your needs, it would be great!

How big of a herd do you want to have?

My eventual goal is around maybe 12 does and a couple bucks for diversity. I think it’s smart to start out with just a few of the breed to make sure it works for me first though. It would be great to taste the milk ahead of time.

Oh and maybe I missed it, but when reading through the breeder’s blog, it stated that they can be milked, but I didn’t see anything about them actually going through the process with their own herd.

They write this:

 We focus primarily on breeding Navajo Angora Goats for our own personal use, in fiber, dairy, and meat.  

(emphasis mine)

Ah, nice! Yes I’ll contact them and see if I can’t sample some of the milk.